Apathy

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈæ.pÉ™.θi/

Origin

From French apathie, from Latin apathīa, from Ancient Greek ἀπάθεια (apatheia, "impassibility”, “insensibility”, “freedom from emotion"), from ἀπαθής (apathēs, "not suffering or having suffered”, “without experience of"), from ἀ- (a-, "not") + πάθος (pathos, "anything that befalls one”, “incident”, “emotion”, “passion").

Full definition of apathy

Noun

1. Complete lack of emotion or motivation about a person, activity, or object; depression; lack of interest or enthusiasm; disinterest.
• 1818, Mary Shelley, Frankenstein Chapter 2, I opened it with apathy; the theory which he attempts to demonstrate and the wonderful facts which he relates soon changed this feeling into enthusiasm.

Related terms

• apatheism noun
• apathetic adj
• apatheia noun